Yusuf Islam's last recording as
Cat Stevens, released in 1978, was
Back to Earth, a record full of lost and disillusioned emotions and the desire to be whole and to find something more. Now 28 years later,
Yusuf gives listeners
An Other Cup, a recording that reveals the benefits and the gifts that his conversion to the religion of Islam gave him. With co-producer
Rick Nowels, old mates like guitarist
Alun Davies,
Jean Roussel, and bassist
Danny Thompson, and new ones like
Youssou N'Dour,
Islam returns to the folk-pop idiom of
Catch Bull at Four, the aforementioned album, and moments of
Foreigner. While the production on this record is full, it feels more stripped down than most of his work. And what's so interesting is that while he may have left behind the minutely detailed searching scenarios his songs related for more spiritual and general sense impressions, it's about the only thing that's changed. His voice is warm, rich, and inviting, his melodies are as irresistible as ever, and his way of relating his experience is direct. It's true there are a lot more holistic themes on this set, deeply spiritual tomes that offer advice, but they also enthusiastically relate the benefits of what he's found. Is it preachy? Yep, a bit, but so was
Bob Dylan's
Slow Train Coming. That's not to equate this record in terms of its profundity, but more to say that anyone who appreciates what
Stevens did in a previous life can rejoice in the subjective truths related here. Songs like "Maybe There's a World," "In the End," the horn-drenched opener "Midday (Avoid the City After Dark)," and "Greenfields, Golden Sands" are memorable and delightful for their simplicity and directness. There is also a curious cover on this set: a string-drenched arrangement of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" that's about as far from
the Animals' version as one can get. It's a bit over the top, and it's more in your face than anything else here and therefore doesn't work. It's downright sappy. Otherwise, this record is a minor but pleasantly unexpected surprise. It also lends a more human face to the man's often distorted life as a devout pilgrim on his way to seeking God. Doing that in a pop setting is a tightrope walk, but
Islam obviously doesn't really care, and he keeps his record free from the trappings of trying too hard. If you missed
Cat Stevens, meet
Yusuf Islam. On
An Other Cup, he delivers what you've been waiting for.